MikeDunnAuthor<p>Today in Labor History August 7, 1890: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn was born in Concord, New Hampshire. Flynn joined the IWW in 1907, two years after its formation, and quickly became one of their best organizers. She was instrumental in the Patterson Silk Strike (1913). In 1909, during the Spokane Free Speech fight, she chained herself to a lamp post to delay her arrest. Jess Waters portrayed her role in the Spokane struggle in his 2020 novel, “The Cold Millions.” John Updike also fictionalized her in his book, “In the Beauty of the Lilies,” (1996).</p><p>Flynn was a socialist early in her life, but later joined the Communist Party USA, rising to its chair in 1961. She was also a founding member of the ACLU, where she played an important role in the defense of Sacco and Vanzetti. Additionally, she was a feminist activist, fighting for birth control rights and women’s suffrage. In 1934, despite her poor health, she actively supported the West Coast Longshore Strike. She was also a prolific writer, including the 1916 book, “Sabotage: the Conscious Withdrawal of Workers Efficiency.” The famous IWW bard, Joe Hill, wrote the song “Rebel Girl” (1915) for Flynn, and the photograph of a woman, holding a red flag, on the cover of the sheet music, bears a striking resemblance to Flynn.</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/workingclass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>workingclass</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LaborHistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LaborHistory</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/eliazabethgurleyflynn" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eliazabethgurleyflynn</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IWW" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IWW</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/union" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>union</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/organizing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>organizing</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/strike" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>strike</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/sabotage" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>sabotage</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/communism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>communism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/socialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>socialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/anarchism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>anarchism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/aclu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>aclu</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writer</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>author</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/books" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>books</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fiction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/novels" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>novels</span></a> <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://a.gup.pe/u/bookstadon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>bookstadon</span></a></span></p>